Back to The Drawing Board (sort of)

Last Friday I wrote 250 words or so of a very important beginning scene. When I returned to it I realized it wasn't going to work. After a few sick days and four days of brainstorming, I realize that I need to do a little more prep work before I can go back to writing the manuscript.


It may take me just a few more days or it may take a couple of weeks. It all depends on how sick I get in between and whether my muse will work with me on this.

It's really a good thing. It's going to make the story much richer and fuller. But it also means the little bar on the side isn't going to up for awhile, and I was having such fun watching it go up. I'm working on my antagonist's character pre-planning now. I figure that the more I do this, the more I'll realize when I need to keep prepping and when I have enough to start the first draft.

Yum-Yum's been helping me.

Word-Per-Day Update

Great day. I didn't sleep well last night and didn't want to do much today, but I had a goal of writing 1000 words today. It's funny because I got up, fed the cats, and took a little rest. After a short while I started writing and just zipped through those scenes. I'm not saying they were great. In fact, the main scene I'm not very happy with, but that's for revision. It'll do for now.

I didn't quite make my goal of 1000 words though, unless you count this post. I finished the scenes I was working on, set everything up for the next scene, looked at the cards and realized that it didn't work. I need to have at least one more scene in between the one I did today and the one I have mapped out.

No big deal, really. I just need to brainstorm some more and I have one idea that's simmering at the back of my mind already.

So I didn't make my goal, but I got so close to it and did so much than I would have otherwise that I feel good about it all. You can almost see the pink in the little bar!   

Word-Per-Day

I just started actually writing the first draft of what I'm tentatively calling Nettle's Twist. That's not the title it will go by. Just a working title. When I was thinking what to save the file as those two words were on my notepad. I always have a really hard time coming up with great titles and names. But no matter.

What does matter is that I have a word-per-day meter on the sidebar. I don't know if I'll be able to keep it up-dated every day, but I'll try. It doesn't matter if I miss a day.

I wish I could say I was done with all the prep work, but it just doesn't work like that. I've gotten enough prep work done to start, but it's the sort of thing that never really finishes. Even into revision. It's an odd process, but enjoyable.

I was pretty stressed this afternoon, because I didn't get as much done as I would like, but I just have to deal with days like that. There are plenty of them. It was a cloudy day, the kind where it doesn't rain, it just feels achy and fatigued. Still it's enjoyable work, and I'm grateful for that. 

Work Station Part 2

Last week I showed what my writing desk currently looks like. I said I would show where I write when I'm too sick to sit up, but just well enough to be creative and hold a pen.

I am rather ashamed of showing it, I have to admit. I didn't realize till I took this picture how shabby everything looks and not in a chic way.

Of course, any bed made by me is going to look wrinkly, that's a given. Because I'm so often in the bed looking out, I pay more attention to the other three walls. There's nothing behind the bed but a big blank beige canvas. The shelves on the side and the table look makeshift (which they are). I'm definitely gonna have to do something about that. It makes a difference to me now that I'm able to sit at my desk more often and look at this view.

On the bright side, working with a blank canvas allows you to do all kinds of things you might not think of otherwise. These should make really good before pictures.

I use to hate that this was a full size bed since it's such a small room. Now I like it. They say not to work or do problem solving in bed because it can affect your sleep. So I sleep on one side and work on the other. I really think that helps.

The blanket and teddy bear is Yum-Yum's. She kneads it and sleeps with her head on it. I hardly ever hear her purr except when she's kneading her teddy. 

Work Station Part 1

Pitti-Sing is beautifully demonstrating my work station. The table is one of those medical tables that slide over the bed. Great invention, but when you're not using it you've got to have a place to store it. I crocheted the tablecloth and the chair covers.

My room is incredibly tiny, 10x11'. And it has to serve several functions. That's my dresser in the foreground, a good, strong piece of pine furniture that's stood up through several moves. It obviously doubles as a bulletin board.

And here the lovely Pitti-Sing is demonstrating an alternative use of the notebook -- as a seat cushion.

The pink notebook on the right is my To-Do list. That stays open on the desk so I know what I'm doing each day.

This was today's list. I've done more than this, but these were important things I wanted to get done. Yes, breakfast is an important thing that I have to be reminded to do. Helps me get my day started right.

But this is only where I work when I can sit up. Well, sometimes I take my things to the couch and work there. In part 2, I'll show where I work when I'm too sick to sit up.